25/25 RUTGERS SCARLET KNIGHTS (16-5, 7-3) AT MICHIGAN WOLVERINES (12-8, 3-6)
Saturday, February 1, 2020 | 4:30 p.m. (ET)
Madison Square Garden (19,812) | New York, N.Y.

TV: BTN (Kevin Kugler, play-by-play; Andy Katz, analyst)
Radio: Rutgers Sports Properties Radio Network (WCTC 1450 AM/WOR 710 AM/XM 195/Sirius 206; Jerry Recco & Joe Boylan); WRSU 88.7 FM (Troy DeSavino and Jake Ostrove)
 
Series Record: Michigan leads 11-0
Last Meeting: Michigan 77, Rutgers 65 (Feb. 5, 2019)
 
OPENING TIP: Winners of four of its last five, No. 25 Rutgers makes its second Big Ten Super Saturday appearance when it meets Michigan in a 4:30 p.m. tip-off at Madison Square Garden. The contest follows a 1 p.m. wrestling match between No. 23 RU and No. 25 UM. The Scarlet Knights are working to improve to five games over.500 in league play for the first time the 1990-91 Atlantic 10 Conference season. An eighth conference victory would be the most for Rutgers since an 8-8 mark during the 2001-02 Big East regular season.
 
Michigan is the second of three straight match-ups, preceded by Purdue and followed Maryland, for RU against foes it had never defeated in Big Ten play. The Scarlet Knights' remaining schedule ranks 3rd nationally in difficulty per ESPN's BPI.
 
Rutgers is 47-56 at the current (since Feb. 1968) Madison Square Garden. Overall at MSG since 1949, Rutgers is 53-58. Under Steve Pikiell, RU is 2-2 at the "Mecca of College Basketball." Pikiell competed on the MSG floor as a two-time team captain under head coach Jim Calhoun at UConn. As a freshman, he shot 12-for-17, including 3-of-4 behind the arc, to score 27 points in a 61-59 loss to Boston College in the Big East Tournament. It marked a career-high for Pikiell and set conference-tourney record for any UConn player at the time.
 
THE OPPONENT: Under first-year head coach Juwan Howard, Michigan was nationally-ranked for seven weeks this season, reaching as high as No. 4. The Wolverines shot 50% (28-of-56) to earn a 79-68 win at Nebraska 79-68 on Tuesday, as Eli Brooks and Franz Wagner scored 20 and 18 points, respectively. Jon Teske paces the team in scoring (13.7), with Isaiah Livers (13.1) and Zavier Simpson (12.8) also averaging double figures. Michigan is atop the Big Ten in FG% (46.9), while Simpson leads the nation in assists (8.3).
 
THE SERIES: Saturday marks the 12th meeting dating back to 1933, with UM winning the prior 11, including a pair of significant post-season meetings. No. 9 UM defeated No. 4 RU, 86-70, in the 1976 NCAA Final Four to provide the Scarlet Knights their first loss of the season after 31 victories. Michigan also downed Rutgers 62-55 in the 2004 NIT Final at Madison Square Garden.


 
HEAD COACH STEVE PIKIELL
Overall Record (years):  252-215 (15th)
Rutgers Record (years): 60-59 (4th)
Record vs. Michigan (RU):  0-3
Record vs. Michigan (overall):  0-3
 
RATED RUTGERS
Haslametrics  15
RPI  19
Jeff Goodman Top 25  19
NCAA NET  21
Seth Davis Top 25  20
Andy Katz Power 36  20
Associated Press Top 25  25
USA Today Coaches Top 25  25
CBS Sports Top 25 and 1  25
Ken Pomeroy  26
Rothstein 45  26
Jeff Sagarin  28
ESPN BPI  35
Through 1/29/20 games
 
SCARLET KNIGHT NOTABLES

• Rutgers is nationally ranked this season for the first time since concluding 1978-79 No. 18 in the AP Poll.
• Off to its best home start (15-0) in program history and the top home record in the nation, Rutgers has a +16.5 scoring margin, a +8.9 rebounding advantage and has limited visitors to .360 shooting at the RAC.
• Rutgers is 13th nationally in FG% defense (37.6), 15th in scoring defense (60.8), 21st in rebounding (40.38), 23rd in rebound margin (+6.8), 32nd in scoring margin (+10.8) and 35th in blocks (4.7)
• Myles Johnson is 4th nationally in FG% (.680) and 15th nationally in offensive rebound percentage (15.4).
• Akwasi Yeboah ranks 47th among active NCAA players in career points (1,525) and 53rd in rebounds (659).
• Rutgers is a young squad, ranking 243rd in experience per Pomeroy.
• After five sell-outs in 2018-19, its most since 2004-05 (7), RU welcomed 8,329 fans vs. Seton Hall, its largest crowd in 18 seasons. RU has sold-out a record-tying eight games at the RAC this season, including five-straight for the first time in the venue's history.
• Rutgers is undefeated when scoring 15 or more fast break points (9-0).
• Rutgers' 12-3 start was its best through 15 games since the 1975-76 undefeated regular season.
• From Dec. 11 to Jan. Jan. 19, RU held opponents to 65 points or fewer in nine straight games (eight victories) for the first time since 1949-50.
• Rutgers last began league play with a 3-1 record as a member of the Atlantic 10 in 1994-95 (4-1).
• RU's 20-point win over No. 22 Seton Hall on Dec. 14 was its largest margin of victory over a ranked foe in program history.
• RU has claimed multiple ranked victories in consecutive seasons for the first time since the 2001-02 and 2002-03 campaigns.
• Rutgers was 4-0 against pro club teams during a tour of Spain in August. RU outscored its opponents 387-284 and had five players average double figures.

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